FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 26, 2010
Contact: Anika Mitchell Perkins
(662) 329-7124
aperkins@pa.muw.edu

MUW online college signs agreement with Mississippi Delta Community College

COLUMBUS, Miss. –A memorandum of agreement recently signed between Mississippi University for Women’s online college and Mississippi Delta Community College has sealed the beginning of a long relationship between the two institutions.
           
As part of the agreement, MDCC and MUW will work together to ensure the delivery of quality associate’s and bachelor’s degrees to the people within the service areas of MDCC. MUW will offer completion degrees that complement the associates’ degrees offered by MDCC.
           
“Mississippi Delta Community College can now utilize the power of a four-year, degree-granting university to recruit future students by offering them a seamless continuation of their degree program in a bachelor’s degree,” explained Dr. William “Bill” Mayfield, MUW dean of the School of Professional Studies. “They can do it at home after work or in some cases, companies provide a couple of hours of time during the work day so their employees can complete their degrees and the company receives the benefit of that new education.”
           
The letter of agreement also allows for the future development of programs that will mutually benefit both MUW and MDCC. One such program is the MIS program at both institutions wherein MUW and MDCC can come together and offer unique courses in which both institutions contribute resources to provide opportunities to the students of both programs in the latest programming skills and application development.

“For example, it costs $30,000 plus to purchase a developers’ kit from Apple. If MDCC applies for a grant to purchase the kit, MUW will teach the course to students to both programs using the Apple developers’ kit.”

A contingency of officials from MDCC participated in the signing ceremony including Dr. Larry Bailey, president.

“The partnership between MDCC and MUW offers unprecedented opportunity for students receiving two year associate degrees to fully transfer the technical credit in their individual programs into a baccalaureate degree program. Most of the students enrolled in these programs at the community college have jobs either while they attend school or before they complete their programs,” he said. “This accelerated online program allows students to complete a four-year degree and remain in their home region. This agreement offers a wonderful opportunity for MDCC and other community college students. MDCC is pleased to be a part of this partnership.”

MagdaleneAbraham, MDCC vice president of instruction, added, “We are excited about the opportunities that this agreement will provide to our students. Allowing community college graduates with academic as well as technical degrees to pursue baccalaureate programs through distance learning will greatly enhance the lives of the individuals and the workforce, and we look forward to working with Dr. (Claudia) Limbert, Dr. (Bill) Mayfield, and the E-College faculty and staff in promoting these programs.”

All of the bachelor’s degree of technology programs will be offered online in an accelerated format that will allow the student to graduate with their bachelor’s degree in approximately 18 months.

Mayfield said, “With this agreement between MUW and MDCC, we have the opportunity to change the way we educate in Mississippi by four-year and two-year schools sharing resources, programs and creating opportunities for shared services.”